This book is the best distro-agnostic foundational Linux reference I’ve ever seen, out of dozens of Linux-related books I’ve read. Finding this book was a real stroke of luck. If you want to really understand how to get things done at the command line, where the power and flexibility of free UNIX-like OSes really live, this book is among the best tools you’ll find toward that end.... The density of knowledge contained between its covers is prodigious, well-organized, and quite thoroughly relevant. This book is clearly designed with both beginners and experts in mind — a promise made by many books, but truly fulfilled only by a very rare few, including this specimen.

Does this differ significantly from Sobell's other distro-specific admin books? Specifically, I had (probably still have somewhere) one of the "Practical Guide to Ubuntu Linux" editions. While it was OK for what it was, I still found myself digging up information on the net more often than referring to the book.

I guess I'm wondering if this is essentially the same book, but with information presented in a distribution neutral manner instead of targeted to Ubuntu? Or does this this book really present fundamentally different information (or the same information in a fundamentally different way)? Basically, if I have the Ubuntu book, is there any reason I should even take a look at this book?

Basically, if I have the Ubuntu book, is there any reason I should even take a look at this book?

I think it's different enough that it's worth having. IMO it's less about admin and much more about tools. Using the ones that are built into the shell and combining them into new ones.

But if you're already comfortable webbing out, it's true you can get everything that's in this book via your browser. I personally find the content more convenient and its presentation far easier to read in book form rather than browsing the web. And it's not just a copy-paste rehash of Man Pages. There's enough original content in there that it's an 'honest' Linux tome.

Most big bookstores (Barnes & Noble, etc.) have a copy or two on the shelves. Best bet would be to give it a leisurely browse before dropping $30 and another 4 pounds on your bookshelf.

The other problem I've found (with exception to BASH books) with distro-related books is that they're very much like Windows books -- if you're familiar with the OS, you can skip the first 9-12 chapters. And rarely do the "advanced" books come through.